Whifeletree



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DEWITT G. WILLIAMS, OE MADISON, OHIO.

WHIFFLETREE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,427, dated November 2-3, 1852.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Dnw rr C. WVILLIAMs, of Madison, in the county of Lake and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus to be Attached to lVhifiietrees from which Horses can be Instantly Disengaged in Case of Danger; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists of a rod or shaft secured in a groove or channel in the whiffietree, said shaft having the ends bent at right angles and covering its ends so as to form hooks for attaching the traces, but in case of danger the said ends, by means of a lever projecting from the said shaft, become simultaneously reversed so that the cockeyes of both braces can be instantly freed.

The drawing Figure 1, represents a perspective view of my inventionthe shaft with its bent ends being more particularly shown in Fig. 2, which represents aplan view of a whifiletree with all the parts of my improvement attached. Fig. 3, is an end view, the dotted lines showing the action of the lever &c. when in operation.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my said invention 1 will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A (Fig. l) is the body of the whifiietree, B, B, springs on the back part to secure the cockeyes when hitched; C, C, ferrules or bands; D (Fig. 2,) a rod or shaft with the ends bent at right angles; said rod is placed in a channel cut on the whole length in front of the whiftletree, and secured therein by the bands O, C, and the staples E, E; a shoulder is also formed on the said bent ends which bears on the end of the whiifietree. The bent ends project far enough to come in contact with the springs B, B, for the purpose of preventing the cockeyes becoming unhitched. It will be observed that the outside of the angles of the bent parts are so much rounded off as, when they are reversed inward, there is but little impediment presented to the cockeyes from becoming detached.

F, Fig. 1, is a lever welded to and making a solid part of the said shaft. The said lever is circular, and comes over the top of the whittletree to the inside thereof, and extends down under it a suitable length. The end of the said lever has an eye, G, to which a strap is secured of a length sufficient to be within reach of the operator.

The mode of operating the above described improvement is shown in Fig. 3, where it is evident that when the lever is passed in the direction of the dotted lines, as indicated by the arrows, the shaft will be turned so as to throw both the ends the reverse way, thereby causing the cockeyes to detach themselves simultaneously, and that by the single action of the lever.

Having thus described the construction and also theoperation of my improved safety whifiletree, what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A shaft with the ends bent at right angles, and the lever making part of the same, arranged and operating substantially as herein set forth.

DE'W ITT C. WVILLIAMS.

Vitnesses J. F. SINGLE, J ENNIE PALMER, 

